Clear Lake Teen Still Hospitalized Nine Days After School Bus Hit His Bicycle; His Mother Says a Helmet Saved His Life

A 16-year-old Clear Lake High School student remains hospitalized after Houston police say a school bus hit him while he was riding his bicycle outside the school on Oct. 16, FOX 26 Houston reported. The crash happened around 2:45 p.m. outside Clear Lake High School along Bay Area Boulevard near Krueger Way, as the bus driver was pulling out of the school parking lot; Clear Creek ISD says the bus was leaving campus during afternoon dismissal.

The student's mother, Brandie Kessler, told FOX 26 her son Jakxon was riding home from school — as he does every day — when he became caught in the bus's wheel as the driver turned onto the road and was dragged about 30 feet. School and emergency personnel responded, and he was taken to UTMB Health Clear Lake Hospital, she said.

According to his mother, the injuries are extensive: multiple spinal fractures requiring spinal fusion surgery, two broken shoulder blades, a broken tailbone, a broken toe and internal injuries. His right ear was also partially torn off and repaired in the emergency room, she said. She credits the helmet he was wearing with saving his life. "When I got to the scene, I happened to see his helmet," she told FOX 26. "It looks like if somebody took an eggshell and just crushed it in their hand and dropped it on the ground."

"It doesn't matter how old they are," Kessler said, urging other parents to make sure their children wear helmets every time they ride. "They need to have a helmet on." Clear Creek ISD says it has been in contact with the family and hopes the junior makes a full recovery, and his mother said the community has rallied around him, including donating to a fundraiser for his recovery. Houston police are investigating the crash.